| Newspapers; 03/22/06 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 22 2006, 06:42 AM (172 Views) | |
| NFarquharson | Mar 22 2006, 06:42 AM Post #1 |
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From the Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...0391/1003/METRO Detroit District is working to reactivate police Detroit school officials are trying to resolve whether the district can reactivate the certification of 50 laid-off Detroit police officers they hired. Officials with the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards say they can reactivate the certification, if the officers are working with a legal law enforcement agency. They believe they need notification from Detroit Police that the district's police department is working under its authority. But the district says its independent from city police. ____________________ http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...00/1006/METRO01 Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Rukaya Al-Fanharawi studies in her driver's education class. The company that operates the academy has recently been honored. Charter school operator honored Parents enthused about multicultural curriculum at facilities in Detroit and Dearborn Heights. Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News Max Ortiz / The Detroit News Star International Academy teacher Kristen Carulli helps fourth-graders in the library at the Dearborn Heights campus. See full image Hamadeh charter schools Star International Academy: Kindergarten through 12th grade 24425 Hass , Dearborn Heights (313) 724-8990 Universal Learning Academy: Kindergarten through 2nd grade 22579 Ann Arbor Trail, Dearborn Heights (313) 724-8060 Universal Academy: Kindergarten through 11th grade (12th grade in the fall); 4612 Lonyo, Detroit (313) 581-5006 DEARBORN HEIGHTS -- The company that operates the 1,200-student Star International Academy has been named one of the 15 most promising charter school groups in the country by a national philanthropy that supports charter schools. Star Academy is run by Hamadeh Educational Services, which also operates two smaller Metro Detroit charter schools: Universal Learning Academy, with 150 students in kindergarten through second grade in Dearborn Heights; and Universal Academy, with about 330 students in kindergarten through 11th grade in southwest Detroit. A 12th grade will be added in the fall. The Charter School Growth Fund will offer advice to each of the 15 chosen charter school companies on developing a financially sound business model to help them grow. After six months, the fund will decide which of the companies it will support financially for the next three to five years. Although Michigan was among the pioneering states in charter schools, Hamadeh is the only Michigan company chosen for the development program. The Dearborn Heights company was founded by Nawal Hamadeh of Northville, who holds a master's degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. She was previously a teacher and administrator at several Metro Detroit private schools. Hamadeh opened Star International with about 345 students in 1998. She opened the southwest Detroit school the same year with 99 students. The second Dearborn Heights school opened with 160 students in 2004. Together, the three schools now enroll more than 1,700 students. Michigan has about 85,000 children enrolled in 220 charter schools, according to the Michigan Association of Public School Academies. Hamadeh attributes her schools' growth to their focus on meeting the needs of a culturally diverse student body, although about 90 percent of the students are Arab-American. "The service is tailored to the specific needs of the students, while at the same time focusing on the state curriculum and standards," Hamadeh said. Star International, she noted, has a special-education program, as well as sports and clubs. "We teach Arabic as a second language in K-8, and also at the high school level, and we also offer European languages. They can choose from French, Spanish or Arabic," Hamadeh said. "We also have single-gender classrooms as an option; they can choose from all male, all female or coed." Angela Elkordy of Ann Arbor drives her two children 35 minutes each way to attend the school. She chose it for her fourth-grader, Zachariah, 9, and third-grader, Sara, 8, because of the multicultural focus. "I see a lot of celebration, and honoring and teaching of multicultural subject matter," Elkordy said. "The kids have worked on African-American celebrations, the Chinese New Year. They have Arabic classes, Spanish and French. "There's a great deal of respect for all cultures, and I really believe that's important for our society." Kamal Kassem, 18, of Detroit will graduate this year from Star International. He said he has been able to take a full load of pre-college classes including Advanced Placement courses and received a $7,000 scholarship to attend the University of Michigan in the fall. "They always emphasize success in the future," Kassem said. "They offer more than three languages, AP (Advanced Placement) calculus and AP literature. We have computer classes, we have sport programs. They offer so many different things." To make the fund's list, applicants had to demonstrate achievement gains among students, offer a full array of academic and extracurricular programs, and be financially solid. Hamadeh said the fund will provide her with the expertise to improve the schools, and possibly the money to expand. "This is to help the organizations that have founded charter schools, to help them expand on their programs," she said. "I would like to grow in the future so that we can accommodate as many parents and children as who want it." You can reach Karen Bouffard at (734) 462-2206 or kbouffard@detnews.com. ______________________________ http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...14/1006/METRO01 Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Detroit schools brace for sickout More than 1,500 teachers called in sick Tuesday for classes this morning Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News DETROIT -- School officials are warning parents to find out if their children's schools are open today before sending them to class, after more than 1,500 teachers called in sick Tuesday for classes this morning. The sickout developed because teachers are upset that they are lending the district five days' pay at the same time principals could see their salaries rise from 4.7 percent to 10.6 percent. On Tuesday, Detroit teachers lent the first of those five days' pay, a part of a one-year contract it reached with the financially struggling district. Principals argue their increase isn't a raise because they took a 10 percent pay cut in the last school year, and administrators say they need the pay boost to keep and attract principals. District officials said they wouldn't cancel classes unless an overwhelming number of teachers don't show up at individual schools. Typically, about 300 of the district's 10,000 teachers and similar staffers call in sick daily. "We are confident that our teachers who care very deeply about our children will show up," said school spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo. Detroit Federation of Teachers officials said they are urging staffers to show up for class. They said there is a risk of disciplinary measures if teachers can't explain their absence. "We are urging our members to go to work.," said union spokeswoman Michelle Price. The average DFT member will see a reduction of about $1,636 in pay because of the loan. The remaining four days will also be taken out of the teachers' paychecks, and district officials have promised to repay the teachers in future years. You can reach Christine MacDonald at (313) 222-2269 or cmacdonald@detnews.com. _________________________ http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...61/1006/METRO01 Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Educational spending by states plunges Funding levels hit 25-year low over 5 years, group says, but outlook is improving. Justin Pope / Associated Press Just five years ago, public colleges and universities enjoyed their highest per-student levels of state and local government support in at least 25 years. By 2005, thanks to stagnant budgets and exploding demand, that figure had plummeted to a 25-year low. The rapid decline in real spending by states, per student, on higher education is documented in a report being released Wednesday by State Higher Education Executive Officers, a group of top state higher education officials. State and local support amounted to $5,833 per student nationwide in 2005, the new report says. That's down from the $7,121 -- in comparable 2005 dollars -- that was spent in fiscal 2001. Appropriations start to rise The change is notable partly because, after several years of cutbacks, states' financial pictures are generally improving and higher education appropriations are picking up. Overall, higher education appropriations grew by 3.5 percent last year and, despite the cutbacks early in the decade, are up about 7 percent since 2001 to nearly $59 billion. Yet compared with 2001, public colleges are accommodating 14 percent more students. While it's good news more students are attending college, there is less to spend per student, and public colleges have raised tuition by nearly half over that period to try to make up the difference. Even so, they brought in 8.8 percent less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, in tuition and state support per student than in 2001. "Especially in the last four or five years, it's been very difficult for state governments to keep pace with that demand for higher education," said SHEEO President Paul Lingenfelter. "The implications of that have been seen in the increased reliance on students and their families to pay the costs." Lingenfelter said the tuition increases raise the danger of more students graduating with heavy debt loads, taking longer to finish school, choosing schools that aren't a good fit or being unable to attend at all. State investment crucial The report comes at a time when higher education leaders are urgently trying to call the public's attention to what they see as the de facto privatization of public higher education. In 1981, public colleges got nearly four-fifths of their educational budgets from state and local government; by 2005 the figure was below 64 percent. Last week, the American Council on Education announced plans for an advertising campaign, including public service spots during the NCAA men's basketball tournament, emphasizing the public value of state-supported colleges and universities. "To have a real chance at a good job and a high quality of life you almost have to have a college degree in this day and age," Britt Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland system, said Tuesday. "The issue really is expanding (the) capacity of our institutions to provide students with an affordable, high-quality education. There, the level of state investment is just absolutely crucial." ________________________________________ http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../603220398/1014 Wednesday, March 22, 2006 District promises hard line on ethics 'Zero tolerance' vow follows FBI probe of alleged misconduct by ex-Chippewa Valley exec. Charles E. Ramirez / The Detroit News CLINTON TOWNSHIP -- Chippewa Valley Schools officials are taking a stand on ethics violations in the wake of an FBI investigation into alleged misconduct by a former employee. "I will continue to take a hard line, zero tolerance approach to any employee who has any type of conduct that is viewed as unethical," said Mark Deldin, the school district's superintendent. Deldin said the FBI is looking into allegations that James Tague, the district's former executive director of support services, violated the district's conflict of interest policy. Officials declined to provide details, but policy violations could include anything from making questionable purchases and steering contracts to vendors to misusing information about students or using school materials or for private practice. The case comes just weeks after a former Chippewa Valley School elementary principal was convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a parent-teacher organization and latch-key program between 1996 and 2003. Richard Zaranek was sentenced March 3 to 31 months in prison and ordered to repay $400,000. Deldin said there was no timetable for the investigation into the new allegations against Tague and the district's board doesn't know when the probe will end. "I don't want to compromise any portion of the investigation," he said. "I'm pleased to say (Tague) was terminated six or seven weeks ago." You can reach Charles E. Ramirez at (586) 468-2905 or cramirez@detnews.com. |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 22 2006, 06:50 AM Post #2 |
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From the Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...315/1007/NEWS05 Metro Detroit BRIAN DICKERSON: Those kids just aren't thinking. Are adults? March 22, 2006 BY BRIAN DICKERSON FREE PRESS COLUMNIST Maybe Daniel Davis Jr. doesn't care whether we call him a terrorist or a prankster. But we ought to be careful what we call him. And we ought to make sure that in our zeal to teach Davis and others like him a lesson, we don't make the world any scarier than it is already. Davis' friends say the 18-year-old senior was only trying to scare up a long weekend when he scrawled a message on a restroom wall threatening to shoot up Rochester High School. "It will be Columbine Part Two," said the message, which specified March 20, as the day the anonymous author would cut loose. The specificity seemed calculated to trigger a school closure, and for practical purposes, it did: About three-fifths of Davis' schoolmates were either too spooked to attend school or willing to feign anxiety for the sake of an unscheduled day off. Now the Rochester Hills teen has become the latest Michigan student charged under a 3-year-old law that makes any violent threat a potential 20-year felony. Adopted by the state after the 9/11 terror attacks, the law has so far been invoked mostly to prosecute kids whose actions might have been dismissed as pranks in the pre-Columbine world. We shouldn't come down too hard on prosecutors for wielding whatever crude instruments lawmakers place in their hands. If a Daniel Davis went berserk after authorities had declined to pursue criminal charges for prior threats, God knows, I and the other high priests at the Shrine of Immaculate Hindsight would be on them with all fours. But it's worth asking whether calling kids like Davis terrorists helps us understand their actions or deter others from mimicking them. What do adults who blow up buildings in Fallujah and kids who threaten to blow up buildings in suburban Detroit have in common? Both suffer, to some extent, from what columnist Tom Friedman calls "a poverty of dignity and a wealth of rage." Both seek to relieve feelings of impotence and hopelessness via acts that seem senselessly wicked to most civilized people. But whatever we think of them, men like Mohammed Atta and Zacarias Moussaoui seem to have anticipated and accepted the consequences of their acts, up to and including their own deaths. Not so the Daniel Davises of the world, most of who seem never to have calculated where their malicious mischief might lead. Does treating even the most implausible threats as if it they were the real deal make casual pranksters think twice before perpetrating a hastily contrived hoax? Or has a zero-tolerance policy simply made attention mongering more affordable, bringing TV coverage and newspaper headlines within the grasp of kids who have neither the wherewithal nor the desire to hatch a real attack? If the real culprit is an adolescent failure to anticipate the consequences of foolish acts, raising the ante will make little difference. I'm not sure how we adults get adolescents with still-developing frontal lobes to spend more time considering the likely impact of their impulsive acts. But modeling that sort of behavior is probably a good place to start. Contact BRIAN DICKERSON at 248-351-3697 or bdickerson@freepress.com. ________________________________ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article.../603220412/1008 Michigan Granholm: Raise the age for dropouts March 22, 2006 BY PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER Gov. Jennifer Granholm stumped for tougher high school requirements for Michigan students Tuesday, pushing a proposal to raise the dropout age from 16 to 18 so kids don't try to get around the rules by leaving school early. Granholm, in appearances in Detroit and Clinton Township, said that unless the state puts tougher graduation requirements in place, students won't be able to compete in the global marketplace. "We're one of the few states that right now doesn't have a core curriculum -- and that's not acceptable," Granholm said. "Only 30% of districts require algebra, only 30% of districts require biology." There are some questions about the statewide plan, however, that would push students to take four years of English and math, three years of science and social science, one year of health and physical education, a year of visual or performing art and an online class. "We're worried financially about how we'll put some of these things in play," said Kathryn Dugall, principal of Wyandott Middle School. The math requirements have generated the most concern. Granholm said she prefers a plan passed by the state Senate that makes students wait until their junior years to opt of math. The House version allows students to opt out after their sophomore year. The governor also said raising the age at which a student can legally leave school could offset fears that the more difficult curriculum will push more kids to drop out. |
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